Love Less

Chapter One: Beginnings

PART ONE

You begin each, and every day, walking down the steps in your New York apartment. You look out large windows to see the busy city below. You wonder to yourself "millions of people walk past this building, not knowing what truly happens on the inside". The truth is, you're normally couped up in the penthouse, helping your father with new designs on his suits (both Ironman, and business suits). Every day feels the same to you, but you could have never imagined how much you miss those meaningless days.  

~

You're jostled awake by the force of someone else. You slowly begin to open your eyes, realizing you're not in your New York penthouse. Your eyes adjust to the dim light, and you realize that you're in a moving truck. You look to each side. Two, large, men sit on either side of you, speaking a language you do not understand.

The truck suddenly comes to a stop. Without saying anything, the two men stand up and drag you out behind them. You fall to your knees, hitting the sand below you. The sun blinds you, but once your eyes adjust you realize the nightmare had just begun.

The two men brought you to a bunker, locked you in, and slammed the door shut. You check your surroundings, taking in everything you see. A cot to your left with a ripped-up blanket, a fire pit in the center, and a bucket, in the corner, your right. All in all, it was very underwhelming. You think to yourself "I must have been taken for some purpose, you'd think they would care more about where I am staying". You were a Stark after all. Your presence stunned a room, but your disappearance silenced the world. 

Days turned into months, at least that's what it felt like to you. Every now and then you would hear your name, eat occasionally, and use the bucket more than you would like to admit. No one spoke English here so any attempt to have human interaction was flawed. Even though you couldn't see yourself, you could tell you were at an unhealthy weight now. Your ribs were starting to become more apparent, the flesh on your hips was starting to thin, and your hair began to fall out. You cry yourself to sleep each and every night, wishing this nightmare would end. 

While in between your multiple mental breakdowns, a man enters your room. He looks at you as if he's expecting you to say something. What could you say?

Finally, he speaks to you. "Miss Stark, I know this is not ideal but I have come to show you something. He holds up a laptop to you, showing an interview being done by your father. He's sitting on the ground, arm in a sling, and eating a cheeseburger. He looks to the camera.

"Y/n. I miss you, please come home. You're more important to me than anything in this world." said your father. "But if someone has her, I will do anything to get her back. Mark my words, you will regret the day your parents conceived you." he continued. You smiled to yourself. That's your dad. The man who showed you the video suddenly changed his tone.

"This isn't personal Miss Stark, it's just business," He said. He then pulls out a gun and a camera, both aimed at you. He started speaking in a foreign language.

"What are you doing? What do you want? I'll do anything, please just don't kill me. I'm begging..." The undeniable sound of a gunshot rang out. You look down and realize he just shot you in the leg. You cry out in pain. The lack of strength you have doesn't help the fact that you're bleeding out. 

The man turns the camera back towards him, saying some more things, then leaves the room. He's just going to leave you here to die. You will die before you ever get a chance to meet your mother, to say I love you once more to your father. You just need to hold on a little longer, someone will find you.

~

You think a few months have gone by or was it a few weeks? Nevertheless, you didn't die, but you're still in the same hell hole. More skinny, sickly, and injured than before. At this point, you wish the bullet would have let you bleed out and die. These men, who have been holding you hostage, wouldn't let you die because you're too valuable to them. Your dad could have paid them off by now, maybe he did. Maybe they didn't want money.

You suddenly hear a crash, but sometimes those just happen. Some of these men are idiots, so they may have blown themselves up. One could only hope. You lay back down on your cot, knowing another day would pass, and more hope would wither away. 

You hear a commotion outside your door, and then another bang. One loud bang happens all the time, but two are unheard of. The door to your room flies open, but instead of one of the soldiers, it's a robot. It walks up to you, but you cower away from it. Was this some sick trick? Was it a dream? At this point, you can't tell reality from fiction.

"Babes, you need to come with me now. You're safe now." The figure said. You would know that voice anywhere.

"Dad?" You asked. The face popped open to reveal your father within the suit. A wave of relief washed over you. You threw your arms around your father.

"Y/n. We need to leave now. Once you're safe, we can talk. I promise." You finally let yourself let go. Your father swept you up and flew you back to Malibu. For the first time, in what felt like forever, you felt safe again.